Gun advocates in New Jersey say Chris Christie is no friend of gun freedom, and have joined organizations like the NRA that have given the tough-talking governor low marks for his support of the Second Amendment.
Last week,
NJ.com reported that Christie is drawing fire for not following through on his promise to appoint a commission to ensure the state's laws "do not infringe on New Jerseyans' constitutional rights."
Christie vowed on June 30, one day before announcing he was running for president, to form the New Jersey Firearm Purchase and Permitting Study Commission. But little has happened since then.
The NRA has already expressed disappointment with Christie, giving him a "C" grade on its gun-rights report card. Meanwhile, the pro-gun control Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has given his New Jersey an "A-."
Christie remains low in national polls, garnering just 2 percent in some national surveys. But his campaign got a boost over the holiday weekend when the New Hampshire Union Leader endorsed him.
New Hampshire is known as a staunchly pro-Second Amendment state and Christie’s track record is weak.
Fox News Channel's
"Special Report" anchor Bret Baier recently reported that Christie entered politics in the 1990s citing his desire to control guns.
Baier cited a 1993 Star-Ledger article quoting Christie during his campaign for state Senate as saying, "The issue that has motivated me to get into this race is the recent attempt by certain Republican legislators to repeal New Jersey's ban on assault weapons."
Christie told Fox he doesn’t remember taking the position.
Christie angered New Jersey gun rights groups with his reticence to move on the new gun commission. He has yet to name one member to the panel, NJ.com reports, drawing criticism from Alexander Roubian, president of the New Jersey Second Amendment Society.
Roubian said Christie has not met with his group, despite multiple requests.
"When I attended the NRA conference, I was embarrassed that our governor was not there," Roubian said.
NJ.com's
Paul Mulshine said Christie has a long record of favoring gun control, noting Christie claimed that "no one needs a semiautomatic assault weapon," and ''we already have too many firearms in our communities." He also quoted Christie as saying he promised to fight "weakening" of New Jersey gun laws.
When asked about by CNN's Jake Tapper three months ago, Christie admitted he had supported the assault weapons ban "when I was 31 years old."
Two years after that failed Senate race, Christie again trumpeted his opposition to repealing the gun ban in a race for state Assembly.
Critics say that's a tested tactic by Christie. Rick Merkt, who ran for Assembly with Christie in 1993 said Christie took liberal positions in the race because he wanted to get elected.
"He was very pragmatic in what he did and what he espoused and he thought you could get ahead that way," said Merkt told NJ.com. "And it worked for him. He wound up being governor of New Jersey."
But now he needs to win the presidential primary in New Hampshire, a state so pro-gun that lawmakers are allowed to carry them on the statehouse floor.
Mitch Kopacz, who leads Gun Owners of New Hampshire, told
NBC News Christie must change his position on guns or, "It will finish his candidacy."
In addition to Christie's early position on the assault weapons ban, he opposed a "right-to-carry reciprocity" bill while first running for governor in 2009. That law would have allowed gun owners with valid permits to carry their guns in other states.
New Jersey has some of the toughest guns laws in the nation, but Christie has done little to change that during his years in office, critics say.
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